EPT10 London: Tudor Purice takes over at the top as money approaches

People who think that poker has nothing to do with the money will have no interest at all to know that the winner of EPT London this week will take home £560,980. They won't care that the top 87 players of a field of 604 will earn a return on their £5,000 buy in, and they won't give two hoots that tomorrow is when we will send home an unlucky handful without a penny to show for their two-and-a-half days at the sharp end of this multi-billion dollar industry.

Every single player in the room today would very much like the EPT London trophy that will also come with being crowned champion at about this time on Saturday afternoon. No one denies that. But the only moment that every single one of them was silent today, barely even riffling chips, was when the tournament director seized the microphone to make the announcement of the prize pool. It was when everyone who will sometimes tell you that they don't care about the money belied their gut instincts. They care. They care a lot.

Television's Tom Middleton pauses for tournament announcement

Leading the way at this stage, as we remain a little way from securing paydays for anyone, is Tudor Purice from Romania, who bagged up 628,200 chips. That may sound like a lot, especially to non-poker followers, but as yet it is still not worth a bean. Had he lost the big flips that gave him that lead, he would be far further down the leader board, and maybe out. That's poker.

Tudor Purice, chip leader at the end of day two

Many stranger things have happened in poker than a chip leader going bust and today's six levels at the Grand Connaught Rooms accounted for the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Luca Pagano, Dario Minieri, Liv Boeree, Vanessa Rousso, Tobias Reinkemeier, Luke Schwartz and Jake Cody. Indeed, one of the strangest things is that Dhru Patel and Max Senft, the leaders at the end of each of the day one flights, are both still battling on. Patel has 285,900 and Senft 251,400. That's about 100,000 more than average at this stage.

Luke Schwartz: in and out

Daniel Negreanu: among the big-name casualties

The other big stacks this evening sit in front of Yngve "Sykoen" Steen (of whom more later), who has 576,400, Joey Lovelady (447,500) and Ludovic Geilich (436,000). The cash-game wizard Andrew Moseley bagged up 487,100.

Andrew Moseley: big in Macau

The only player with fingers more photographed than his face: the knuckle-duster rings of Dave "Devilfish" Ulliot